Category Archives: Christmas

I did not have an opportunity to make much in the way of candy this winter. It was just so humid. But this is a recipe that works, is simple, and tasty. My mom used to make peanut butter fudge but I never had the recipes, so when one of my friends brought in her grandmother’s recipe – it was just like my mom’s. I have tried other recipes but this one is the only one I make any more.

Hood was asking for a piece, so ….

This is also a treat I can share with the dog – though in very small doses.

Put sugar, butter, and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to minimum and stir continuously until the mixture is caramel brown and the candy thermometer reaches 245 degrees (use the thermometer – no really, do it!) Remove from heat, add vanilla and peanut butter. Stir until completely mixed. Place in a 8 x 8 glass pan and let firm up. Then cut into bite-sized pieces.

I haven’t made this appetizer in several years. I remember it being good and that the Boy likes it and that’s about all based on my meticulous notes. I wanted something simple this year for the holidays and while these flavors don’t scream “holidays” at all, they are good nonetheless.

The first time I made this was in the summer and it worked then as well. The important thing with this recipe is to make it at the last minute and not let the bread get dry. Cover with a damp paper towels and some cling film until time serve.

Mix mayonnaise with prepared horseradish.
Spread other 6 slices bread with about 1 teaspoon each horseradish-mayonnaise.
Top with roast beef, dividing evenly.

Gently press avocado-topped bread slices onto each sandwich.

Using long serrated knife, trim off crusts and cut each sandwich lengthwise into thirds.

Makes 18 or so.

16 August 2008 – v.g.

If you have more filling, make more sandwiches. They will not go to waste.

This is just such a great flavor combination and you think the horseradish might over power, but it does not. The creaminess of the avocado and especially the sharpness of the lime all mix together with the roast beef.

You can also toast the bread before you make these and that is good, but don’t go overboard with damp paper towels then or the bread loses it crunch.

I’ve been meaning to do this for donkey’s years, but finally got around to a first round this week. Trying to get some practice in before Christmas, because I was thinking I might make some for little Christmas treats for friends and what not. Not a big deal, but a handmade treat that I think most people would like. I am, as mentioned ad nauseum, not a chocolate person, but give me a pretzel with a simple chocolate coating, especially if semi-sweet or white chocolate and I am so all there. Need to work on the decorating, but that will come and I also see how you could make this work for lots of different holidays by changing colors.

I suppose you could do the same with other kinds of pretzels, but this seems to make the most sense for now, at least until someone convinces me otherwise. Chocolate pretzels in a pint glass – something about that makes lots of sense – to me anyway.

Heat chips and vegetable shortening in small, dry, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on medium high power for 1 minute; Stir. The chips may retain some of their original shape but just keep stirring. Microwave at additional 10 – to 15 -second intervals, stirring just until chips are melted.

Dip pretzel rods as far as you can into melted chips, using a spoon to help coat each pretzel rod. Sprinkle with toppings. Place on prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate for 20 minutes or until set. Store in airtight container at room temperature. Best when eaten within a few days.

These are so stupidly amazing. I cannot make them again, because if I do, I think I might eat them all. In this case, I only ate the little stubby pretzels that I dipped in just the chocolate and that made me happy. But that should be as far as it goes. I bought the strange white sprinkles for these, especially. That is, again, just so sad. Or maybe just so very cool. Not sure.

Yep, but you know I am going to come up with even a better way to make them and that will just be a bad thing for me.

So I think this year, I might subject friends and family to my odd sense of nostalgia and hope I, the one who has this in my memory, am not disappointed.

For some reason, known only to herself (she never did explain it), my mother left me in charge of deciding the food for Christmas Eve. Not the making in all, or even most, cases, but the deciding. In our family which was rather large even though is was just my 3 siblings, me, my parents, and our older siblings kids, we opened presents from each other on Christmas Eve, so it was a night of perpetual snacking and in my case eating enough vanilla taffy to almost (almost, but not quite), make myself sick. Oh, and fudge too. And I don’t even like fudge (Groundhog Day.)

This was one of the things that I wanted every year and also made myself – not exactly difficult even though we had no food processor or mini chopper. You just did it the old fashioned way, by hand – no harm in that. I have no idea where this came from, but in my made-up back-story for it, it was a contribution to a local newspaper from some woman who would call herself by her husband’s name, you know what I mean. Instead of Mary Smith, she would be Mrs. John Smith, like she didn’t have an existence outside of him – yes, going off the rails here a bit, but that kind of thing just makes me slightly crazy.

Combine cream cheese, cheddar, horseradish until well blended. Make into a ball and chill. Roll in dried beef until covered. Chill several hours. Let sit at room temperature before serving. Serve with Triscuits or whatever crackers you like, but when I was 12, Triscuits is what I did. And everyone else did too.

Several questions arise – the first being do they still make dried beef in those odd little jars (not that I could tell, and I looked), where is it in the store if they do and what are my other options? I’m thinking pan fried proscuitto minced.
Also – only 1/2 cup of sharp cheddar. First, must be Cabot seriously sharp, but needs to be orange for color contrast and it will most certainly be more than 1/2 a measly cup. Please.
I will taste and check the horseradish level, but must be careful not to blow everyone’s palate. I tend to like just a click more horseradish than most people.

I have no idea why my mother made these for Christmas. None whatsoever. Another thing that will never be explained, but somehow this came back into my memory this fall and I thought I would at least make it once as an adult and decide if it was as good as I remember. And to also see what the Boy would think of it. I am sure the MotH will not touch it with a ten foot pole. No surprise there really. **

This isn’t so much a recipe but a method really, but so many recipes included chocolate in the Haystacks and I can damn sure tell you that was not in my mom’s recipe. Peanut butter was not involved either. Can we say, ugh? Sometimes simple, really, is best.

This recipe uses nuts and I can see how some salted dry roasted or honey roasted peanuts would be good, but I think I am going to go with some chopped up pretzel bits. It is all about the salt, especially when you are dealing with something as cloying sweet as butterscotch morsels.

** Strange thing, both the MotH and the Boy said I have done this before, and I honestly think they are both imagining things. Much as I *love* butterscotch, I really think I would remember it. That said, I know I have never done this with pretzel pieces.

And now I have more pretzels to play with – more chocolate dipping might be involved. But no chocolate in haystacks – um, ever.

I just cannot stand bananas. It is the texture I think, but, let’s just say, ugh. But here I am making banana nut bread from my mom’s recipe again. Just like so many years before.

I miss that I can’t make it for my dad anymore. But this, to me, more that just about anything else, is Christmas.

It would not be Christmas without toasted (under the broiler) banana nut bread slathered in too much butter for Christmas Day breakfast/brunch. Sausage balls are the close second.

This keeps well. And if you make a loaf and split it and put half wrapped in two layers of heavy duty foil in the freezer you can pull it out in March and it is still amazing. That is what I did for my dad – half a loaf to eat now and the other have to save for a couple of months. You can make this anytime of year, really, but – it is just Christmas. And my family’s tradition.

Grease and line a 9 x 5″ loaf pan with parchment paper and spray again with baking spray. Sift the flour with the baking powder, salt and baking soda – typically, I do this on a piece of waxed paper. In the stand mixer, blend the butter and sugar together. Then add the eggs, one at a time until blended. Add the mashed bananas and blend until combined. Mix in dry ingredients. Add pecans and mix well.

Turn into loaf pan and bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and increase temp to 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

21 December 2017 – post procedure – funny, that – that is a story for a whole different day.(said in the voice of River Song from Dr. Who – the Matt Smith version). Dear lord, I am a dork of the nth degree. And obviously, the drugs are still having an impact of sorts.